Faith in Finch
by clarinetgirl2427
Summary: Goes with "Figuring Finch". Taylor's POV. Taylor believes in Finch.


**Author's Note: **Writing Figuring Finch was fun, and I kind of wanted to explore Taylor's side of it. (There's seriously not enough Taylor anywhere.) Next up is Finch's, I swear. This was seriously fun to write. I don't own Person of Interest. Did I just hear a collective sigh of relief? *Sad face* Sorry for my crazyness coming through, anyway enjoy.

-Clarinetgirl

•••

Taylor Carter sits in his English class counting down the minutes to lunch and his brief escape from the tyrannical Miss Reddick. He occasionally distracts himself by debating Harold via text messages. Today's topic is French literature, specifically Dumas. Harold championing "Count of Monte Cristo" while Taylor prefers "Three Musketeers". "Mister Carter, I doubt the inside of your pocket is all that intriguing." His head shoots up, busted. "Something you would like to share with the class?"

How to explain to his teacher that he was texting his mom's paranoid older billionaire boyfriend? Even worse, how to pretend that he is not more interesting than her class? Simple solution, don't and lie instead. "I'm sorry Miss Reddick, my mom needed to know if I had to stay after school today. It was important she know because of her work schedule." He knows his mom usually wouldn't approve of lying to a teacher, but he suspects that just this once she might. Or else she'll be angry with Harold, the thought of which Taylor doesn't like.

Reddick, of course, walks across the room to him and holds out her hand for his phone anyway. Reddick, being the vile woman she is, never merely takes a phone like other teachers. No, she must read the texts aloud for the whole class to know her victim's personal business. "So you're texting 'Harold', hm? Who is he? Your grandfather?" Taylor fairly concern Miss Reddick never quite grasped the concept of maturity. She scrolls through the messages until she finds something juicy. "'If you need, I can send the car for you after school. I don't care what you're mother says about too flashy, I don't like you riding the subway alone.' What's this? A sordid romance with an older man perhaps? 'I can't make it tonight. Apologize to your mom for me. She's ignoring my calls again.' Oh, he's you're mother's sugar daddy." Taylor can feel his normal cool temper boiling over into complete and utter rage.

The projector strangely turns on without provocation revealing Miss Reddick's personal files. Pictures from her gallery begin to pop-up: her kissing a picture of that guy who played Jesus in that Mel Gibson movie, her with major 80's hair, her being a bit too friendly with their married principal, her smoking weed dated only a few days ago, and best of all her in a My Little Pony costume. The message is clear to everyone, especially Reddick whose face has gone redder than should be humanly possible: don't mess with Taylor. It's kind of nice to know someone other than his mom is looking out for him.

He tries to hide his grin as she glares down at him. Before she can compose herself and recover from the embarrassment, the lunch bell rings. Taylor quickly flees the room, after slipping his phone out of her hand without her noticing, and texts Harold on his way to the cafeteria, "Dude, u can b so cruel."

His phone vibrates announcing the delivery of Harold's reply. "Your teacher is an archaic moron who brought it on herself." A moment later, his phone vibrates again, "Don't tell your mother."

Taylor's response is simple and firm, "I promise." And he means it because Harold Finch has become the second most important person in his life. Taylor freely admits he would have never thought his mom would be with anyone like Harold, but that was before Harold had become such a big part of their lives. He is part of the reason Taylor is still alive. He's partly responsible for his mom still being alive. And he has made both of their lives better by just being in them.

When he exits the building after school, narrowly avoiding Reddick's wrath, he sees Harold already waiting with car and driver. After a hasty goodbye to his friends, he heads to the car. He and Harold share a hug before he gets in followed by Harold. He doesn't ask Taylor about school, he knows that would just kill the conversation before it even begins.

He quickly gives Harold a brief update of everything and asks for help with his chemistry homework. Harold swears he's horrible at chemistry, but Taylor is sure that he knows more than the person supposedly teaching him.

They soon fall into a comfort silence. Harold likes being left to his thoughts at times, and Taylor has found that he does too. Especially now, as he is plagued by what his friends had said as he was leaving. How they didn't like Harold, how he seemed wrong. Taylor is so annoyed by this because they had liked for John the two weeks he had dated Joss. They say as much all the time. Always asking, "Why end it with John to get with this guy?" Because "this guy" is just as good, if not slightly better for them than John.

John is cool and all, but Harold is... he can't really explain Harold, not in a way his friends could understand. Plus, Harold makes him and his mom happy, and besides John has Zoe now.

Taylor looks at the man beside him and a realization is made as to why he feels so strongly about Harold. It's because Taylor has the same faith in him that all son's have in their fathers. The faith to be protected and loved by the men who will shape their lives the most strongly. It's because when he thinks of Harold, he is not his mom's boyfriend, he's Taylor's unspoken father.


End file.
